Brett Pesce gets 6-year deal, Hurricanes continue smart summer

Let’s say there’s a 22-year-old defenseman who had 20 points in 82 games last season with an outstanding plus-23, who also had a 54.1-percent Corsi rating at even strength.

Let’s say that he played the majority of his minutes with a 23-year-old defenseman, combining to create a rock-solid pairing that helped earn that other guy a seven-year investment from his team this summer.

Now, how would you go about rewarding our 22-year-old blueliner?

If you’re the Carolina Hurricanes, you give Brett Pesce a six-year deal that pays him $4.025 million per season beginning in 2018-19, as they did on Tuesday.

“Brett took another big step forward last season,” said GM Ron Francis. “He plays a smart defensive game and has good ability to move the puck and contribute offensively. We plan for him to be a part of the Hurricanes’ defensive corps for a long time.”

If you’re looking to build sustainable success, solidifying your collection of under-27 defensemen for the long-term is a great place to start. Slavin came in at $5.3 million annually over seven seasons. Pesce at $4.025 million annually over six seasons. It’ll be interesting to see what they end up doing with Noah Hanifin, given those deals.

Or, perhaps, they eventually deal from a position of strength to acquire a vital piece up front.